Car-fender.



' W. R. BRUCE & P. COUTTS.

GAR FENDER. ATION FILED mm 16, 1909.

APPLIG 938,209. Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

UNITED STATES 121mm. orrion.

WILLIAM ROSS BRUCE, 01E PAISLEY, AND FREDERICK COUTTS, 0F ELDERSLIE, SCOTLAND.

CAR-FENDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM Ross BRUCE and FREDERICK OOUTTS, both subjects of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing, respectively, at Paisley and Elderslie, Scotland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tramway or like lifeguards of the gate and tray type, and it has for its object to provide an improved arrangement of mechanism for operating the lifeguard.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing diagrammatically one arrangement of the devices for operating the lifeguard. Fig. 2 shows a modified arrangement. Fig. 3 shows an alternative arrangement of devices from which the feeler or gate is suspended.

As shown in Fig. 1, the mechanism comprises a forked bell crank A which is pivoted on a pin B and carriesa roller C or a sliding contact, said bell crank being actuated by the feeler .or gate D of the lifeguard through the intermediary of a connecting rod E attached to the arm a of thebell crank A. The roller 0 is adapted to run on the edge of an upright link or lever F freely suspended from a pin 7 which may be attached to a plate G secured to one of the beams which support the car platform. As shown, the pin B on which the bell crank A is pivoted is also secured to the plate G. The link F is adapted to swing on the pin f and is connected by a rod H to the lever I secured to the tray J of the lifeguard, said tray J being hinged or pivoted at j to the pilot board J. or the like. When the tray J is in its normal or raised position, as shown, the link F hangs vertically and is by means of the spring L pressed against the roller 0, which roller is in a position slightly below the center of the pivot B of the bell crank A; further downward movement of the bell crank A and roller C being prevented by the flanged head of the pedal rod K which projects through the car platform and is coupled to said bell crank.

The feeler or gate D is suspended from a shaft D located beneath, and extending transversely of, the car platform, and is provided with a lever arm L adapted to move in an opposite direction to the feeler D,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 18, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26,1909. Serial N 0. 502,855. 7

which arm L is connected to the arm a of the bell crank A by means of the connecting rod E which is slotted as at e for engagement with the joint pin of the arm L The end of the rod E being slotted, the tray J is permitted to fall when the roller C rises above the pivot B of the bell crank A, irrespective of the position of the gate D of the lifeguard. When the gate D is hanging vertically, as shown, the pin which connects the lever L to the rod E is at the front end of the slot 6.

The action of the lifeguard is as follows :l/Vhen the gate D moves rearward, for instance when it strikes an object while the car is in motion, the lever arm L pulls the connecting rod E forward, and thereby raises the arm of the bell crank Which carries the roller C. The weight of the tray J, together with the tension of the spring L, tending to pull the tray J down, causes the swinging link F to move forward, whereupon the lever I moves forward so that the tray J turns on its pivot 7' and its free end drops on to the ground. If the roller C is raised above the pivot B of the bell crank A the action of the lifeguard becomes independent of the gate and any vertical movement of the roller G causes the rod K to pass upward through the car platform. The tray J of the lifeguard is raised by pushing down the rod K, whereupon the roller C of the bell crank engages with the link F and returns it to normal position.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the pivoted link F is connected to the rod K (which may be provided with a stop is) by means of an arm and is of hook-like formation at its lower end in order to engage with the roller C, which roller, in this case, is adapted to be disengaged from said link F by means of an arm or arms N, when the gate D is swung rearward due to some obstruction. The downward movement of the arm or arms N may be limited by a pin 11, or the like secured to the said arm or arms engaging a projection O on the shaft to which the feeler is attached. In other respects the arrangement is similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 3, the gate D is suspended from a lever arm or arms P and from a lever arm or arms which may be similar to the arms N (Fig. 2), said arms N being loosely mounted on the usual shaft 7 link F which may be of the form, and may be supported in the manner shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The arms P are supported in turn by the web portion of a projection n preferably of channel section and having flanges a secured to the arms N. The arrangement is such that when the gate D contacts with the ground, as would happen when the end of the car swings downward, said gate and the arms P may rise vertically without actuating the tray J, but when the gate D strikes an object, a pin or projection d secured to the gate engages with the pro- .jection 97 having flanges a secured to the arm or arms N, so that the gate D, the arms P and N, and the roller C carried at 59 swing freely on the usual transverse shaft D said roller being disengaged from the link F whereupon the tray of the lifeguard is dropped.

The platform is lettered b and the joists beneath it, which extend outward from the car-body to carry the platform, are marked 0, and it will be understood that the pilotboard J which carries the tray J is supported independently of the platform; so as to maintain a uniform distance from the ground when the car body and platform vibrate upward and downward upon the car springs in the usual manner. WVhen such'vibration occurs, the parts attached to the platform are at times pressed clownwardly toward the tray, the connecting rod H and the spring L yielding at such times or changing in angular relation to the depending lever f and the arm I which actuates the tray. Such yielding does not, in

, any position of the parts, affect the working of the parts attached to the platform, as the lever-arm A which carries the roll C is unaffected by the movements of the connectingrod and spring; and the operative connec tion between the feeler and such arm A is in like manner unaffected.

It will be observed that the connection between the feeler D and the arm A which carries the roll C may be varied without affecting the operation of the invention, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which the lever N corresponds in its position and functions to the arm A of the bell-crank in Fig.

1, and operates the roll O in all respects the same as the bell crank.

Having now described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2- 1. In a car fender, in combination, a pivoted feeler, a lever depending from a pivot at its upper end, a moving contact operatively connected with said feeler, said moving contact engaging one face of said depending lever and being caused to travel on said face on movement of the feeler, a pivoted tray, connections between said depending lever and said tray for supportin the tray in one position of said depending lever, and for releasing the tray in another position of said depending lever, substantially as described. j

2. In a car fender, the combination, with a pivoted tray having an arm to sustain the same, of a depending lever having aipivot at its upper end and connected to the said arm, a feeler mounted upon the car in ad vance of the tray, and a moving contact engaging the face of the depending lever and operatively connected with the said feeler, whereby a backward movement of the feeler shifts the moving contact, thus releasing the lever and permitting the tray to fall.

3. In a car fender, the combination, with the platform projecting at the end .of the car, of a pilot-board J supported beneath the platform, a tray plvoted thereon and having an arm I projected upwardly from its pivot, a depending lever E pivoted neath the platform and connected'to the arm I, a spring for drawing the arm I toward the said depending lever, a'lever A having a roll C bearing against the dependand a shaft D pivoted'under the platform with feeler D depending therefrom and operatively connected with the'arm carrying the roller, whereby the backward movement of the arm throws the roller upward. and

permits the spring to operate and throw down the tray.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. p p

WILLIAM ROSS BRUCE. FREDERICK COUTTS.

Witnesses: V p 7 WVM. DUNCAN LITTLEJOI-IN, JOHN ORR TAYLOR.

mg lever to resist the action of the spring, 1 

